• Afternoon clouds cover the distance peaks of the iconic Boney Mountain

    Santa Monica Mountains

    National Recreation Area California

Fire Operations

Engine 73 at Fort Hunter Liggett Fire School.

All wildland fires within Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area (SMMNRA) receive suppression action through immediate response by initial attack resources. SMMNRA has two wildland fire engines which are available to respond to these incidents. One of these engines is a large Type 3 wildland engine and the other is a smaller Type 6 engine.

The area within the SMMNRA boundary consists of federal, state, county, city and private property. With the many homes at risk and the large response area, SMMNRA works with numerous other state, county and local government fire agencies through cooperative agreements to suppress these wildfires.

In addition to initial attack responsibilities, the Type 3 engine responds to other local, regional and national fire incidents. The engine assists other parks in the region with prescribed burn projects. It provides other park units with additional staffing during periods of very high fire danger. The engine staff works closely with the fuels management specialist on hazard fuels mitigation projects to create defensible space around park structures.

The park provides fire training to employees outside fire management who are then available to fill in during periods of very high and extreme fire danger. In addition, the SMMNRA brings in resources from other areas to help augment staffing during severe fire conditions.

 
SAMO Engine 73
The Santa Monica Mountains Type 3 wildland fire engine has a crew of five including a captain, engineer, and three firefighters.

Did You Know?

Backbone trail hikes lead to views of mountains, canyons, and the Pacific Ocean.

Piece by piece, a trail is forging its way along the "backbone" of the recreation area. California State Parks took the first step toward a 65-mile Backbone Trail in 1978. With 5 miles left to go, single track trails and fireroads will unite this patchwork of public parklands from east to west.